Muema out to prove draft analysts wrong

Confident in his ability, SDSU running back believes he will prove his worth to NFL teams

San Diego State running back Adam Muema (4) runs it in for a touchdown against Fresno State during the first half in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
— AP

San Diego State running back Adam Muema (4) runs it in for a touchdown against Fresno State during the first half in an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 26, 2013, in San Diego. (AP Photo/Gregory Bull)
/ AP

“That’s just a prediction,” Muema said. “No one can judge the will of a man.”

Especially not this man, who came back from a devastating accident in May 2010 that could have ended his football career.

Muema was hit in the face with a baseball bat when he was trying to defend the parent of a friend at a party. The injury required eye surgery and grueling rehabilitation, but in the end, Muema prevailed.

“I’ve thought I was going to the NFL since I was 4,” Muema said. “I did question it (after the eye injury) but I’m so determined I probably would have been able to come back with just one eye.”

“Adam is a running back in the mold of Maurice Jones-Drew,” London said. “He’s very powerful and shifty, and he reminds people of Marshall Faulk. I think it’s easy to look at that comparison because when he puts on that red and black, he cuts like Marshall Faulk.

“But what I really like about him is his physicality, his ability to run through tackles and make guys miss and get to the edge against top-notch competition.”

London declined to reveal which round the NFL’s advisory committee predicted that Muema would be drafted in, but said “it was communicated to him that he’d be in high consideration at his position.”

For Muema, the decision to leave early was rooted in his desire to help his family.

“There was family business issues, financially and mentally,” Muema said. “Not financial for me; I’m fine. But I want to help my family out. They helped me out, and I’ve got to stick with my family, too.”

He also said he’s ready to leave. After compiling back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons and finishing No. 4 on the Aztecs’ career list with 2,955 rushing yards, Muema (5-feet-10, 205 pounds) is ready to embrace a new challenge.

“I don’t know what more I can do for them, and (people) are always going to talk about our conference,” he said, referring to the general perception that the Mountain West provides weak competition. “You can’t say that when you’re competing with the best.”

Muema believes that he’s ready to compete against the best.

“I think the biggest question he has to answer is how fast his top-end speed is,” London said. “Once he shows he has the top-end speed (comparable) with some of the best running backs in the draft, teams will go back to reviewing his film and viewing Adam as one of the top backs in the draft.”